


Confidence Like a Costume

by myadamantiumheart



Series: Much Needed Therapy [6]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-15
Updated: 2012-09-05
Packaged: 2017-11-12 04:45:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/486850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myadamantiumheart/pseuds/myadamantiumheart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tim thinks that perhaps Dick deserves a shot at happiness as well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Mr. Harper

  
  
They see Dick and Mr. Harper before they hear them, but they can tell what’s happening before they hear them too. Dick is laughing, that much is clear, and Mr. Harper’s face holds a smirk not unlike Jason’s in mischievous intent. This is the first time Dick has been late to a group meeting.

  
Stephanie isn’t having trouble understanding why. 

  
Mr. Harper leans in to Dick’s laughs, the two of them polarized to a point where they seem to revolve around each other. Mr. Harper says something, something flirty- the way his mouth quirks up makes it obvious, and Dick’s flush is clear all the way down the corridor. The pair stops, just a few classrooms ahead, and they all strain to look as though they are not listening in. 

  
“You doin’ anything this weekend, handsome?” Dick shoots a quick grin at Mr. Harper, his voice more confident than his body (Cass can see his anxiety pooling up in the set of his shoulders). Mr. Harper leans in, leans in until he’s got one arm at Dick’s back, palm against the wall, and he’s nose to nose with their counselor. 

  
“I could be doing  _you_ if you’re free, Dickie,” Mr. Harper purrs out, his eyebrows wiggling teasingly as the blood rushes through Dick’s cheeks and his teeth flash white in the small spaces between them. There’s a breath- there’s two, where they’re all waiting for Dick to say yes. They’re all waiting for this, the confirmation of the two as a couple- it’s obvious even to Damian that there’s an attraction swaying dizzy and lust-drunk between the two teachers. But on the third breath Mr. Harper grins again and Dick fairly giggles, a tinge of nervousness shading the edges of his laughter. 

  
“You’re a funny one, Harper,” Dick manages to shove out, that brazen tone firmly in place. Stephanie fairly groans at his deflection, and Cass has crossed her arms disapprovingly. 

  
“So, I’ll meet you at the same bar as last time, right?” Mr. Harper’s hand is moving from the wall, resting on Dick’s shoulder, and his thumb is rubbing up the edge of the first splotch of red blush on Dick’s neck. 

  
“Maybe you can teach me some pool this time,” Dick replies, edging back, away from Mr. Harper’s hand, and the man takes the hint, dropping his hand. 

  
“What, you don’t already know how to bend over a table and handle some sticks and balls, Grayson?” the redheaded teacher murmurs, clear delight in his eyes as Dick makes a face and turns, huffing, towards the students waiting outside the room. 

  
“8 o’clock, Roy, don’t be late.”

  
With a wave and a wink,  Mr. Harper’s on his way back towards his office in the gym building, and they’re all standing there with shit-eating grins on their faces (well, Tim has a slightly larger smile than his normal conservative mouth twitch and Damian is not scowling, but it might as well have been grins on all of them) as Dick rummages through his pockets for the key to the classroom they use. 

  
“So, who was that?” Stephanie leans against her chair, settling herself into the plastic seat as she dumps her book bag on the ground and wiggles her eyebrows at Dick. 

  
“I’m fairly sure you’re aware of all the teachers at this school, Steph,” Dick says, trying to play it off cool. 

  
The continuing blush on his face makes that a huge bust. 

  
“Okay,” Jason smirks, flopping his legs across another chair as he fiddles with a pen he’s stolen from Tim’s open pencil case. “We’ll just have to assume, then.” 

  
“I’m gonna assume he’s your  _booooyfriend_ ,” Steph counters, shooting a conspiratorial look at Tim when Tim raises his eyebrow at her. 

  
“I shall have to assume the same,” Damian chimes in, to the surprise of everyone in the circle. 

  
“He’s-” Dick splutters, setting down his group notebook with more force than necessary as he crosses his legs and tries to assume his composure once more. “He’s not my  boyfriend . He’s just a friend who I hang out with sometimes.”

  
“Is that so?” Tim asks quietly, narrowing his eyes at Stephanie and Jason when they shoot him less-than-discreet thumbs ups. 

  
“Yes.” Dick says firmly.

  
It is a blatant lie and everyone in the room knows it. 

  
But they let it drop.

  
For now. 

  
After all, Dick doesn’t have to  _know_ that maybe they meet at the bus stop after group and Tim says, in his fierce and quiet way, that Dick  _deserves_ to be happy.

  
And Dick doesn’t have to be  _alerted_ to the fact that maybe they’ve got a few plans to assure that happiness.

  
And Dick definitely doesn’t have to be in the  _loop_ on whether or not those plans involve one Mr. Roy Harper. 

  
But, just for the record?

  
According to the vehemently neat and tidy handwriting in Tim’s notebook, they  _do_ . 


	2. Roy to the Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slade comes to visit a certain Mr. Grayson.

This time, they definitely hear Dick before they see him. His voice is raised, high and carrying, and the group turns to look down the corridor before he even turns the corner towards them. He’s striding with purpose, his satchel slung over his shoulder and his hands gesturing furiously, and there’s someone following him. Another man, tall, with an eyepatch over one eye and graying hair. He’s strong looking, and the smirk on his face makes all of them uneasy. The man keeps smirking, even as he pushes Dick into the wall and leans close enough to make Jason tense up.

Whatever he’s saying to Dick is making Dick fight back, push at his chest with those incredibly kind hands, and Stephanie doesn’t hesitate, knows the signs, feels what’s going on here.

“Go and get Mr. Harper,” She says sharply to Tim, before shoving her bag off her shoulder and rolling up her sleeves, glancing up at Jason with a deadly look on her face. “Wanna be my hired muscle for the next twenty minutes?”

“Anything you want, princess,” Jason grinned at her, sharp and sweet as he shoved his blazer off and dropped his books to the ground, gesturing for her to lead the way. She strode as confidently as she could given her pregnant stomach towards the pair, Jason at her shoulder. As they got within range, the older man’s words becme clearer and clearer, and Steph felt her stomach clench at his oily tone of voice.

“If you’d just come back with me everything would be fine, Robin,” the man purred, Dick’s eyes going wide at the pet name. “And I won’t have to have a talk with that lovely Mr. Wayne-” Stephanie gritted her teeth and reached out to press a hand to Jason’s bicep as he started forward, arm cocked back.

“Is there a problem, Mr. Grayson?” Stephanie asked politely, steel under her words. “You’re usually never this late for group.” The older man smirked in their direction, leaning until his hip was touching Dick’s and he could look down his nose at them.

“I was just catching up with my Robin,” the man leered, raising an eyebrow at Dick. “Don’t be rude, Dick, introduce us.”

“Don’t, Slade,” Dick said quietly, his hand shoving futilely at Slade’s shoulder as he tried to squirm out from under him. “I’ll be right there for group, okay guys? Slade was just leaving.” He narrowed his eyes at Slade and Jason reached forward, grasping the shorter man’s wrist and pulling him towards them.   
But Slade had wrapped his gloved fingers around Dick’s other wrist and he pulled backwards, leaving Dick stuck between them in a parody of a tug of war game. Jason growled low under his breath, Stephanie’s hands caught on her hips, and she stood as tall as she could.

“I would advise that you let him go, Slade,” she spit out, glaring at the sneering man. “He clearly wants you to leave, and I recommend doing so before our reinforcements arrive.”

“Oh, reinforcements?” Slade laughed, grinning mockingly at them and tightening his grip on Dick’s wrist until the counselor winced. “Tough little students you’ve got here, Robin, but I don’t think they know what they’re dealing with.”

“They’re not dealing with it,” a deep voice sounded behind them, Mr. Harper clapping a hand on Stephanie and Jason’s shoulder respectively. “I am.” Jason laughed, stepping back and releasing Dick’s wrist, his arm slinging it’s way casually around Steph’s shoulders.

“Ah, this oughtta be good,” he murmured to her, eyes fixed on Mr. Harper’s deadly expression. “It’s like one of those dumb shoujo animes.”

“Oooh Mr. Harper oooh,” Steph snickered, Mr. Harper stepping forward and grasping Dick’s wrist, taking Jason’s place as he murmured in low tones, conversing with Dick. Slade was clearly getting impatient, stepping back towards the parking lot gradually.

“Please let go,” Dick said finally, turning his distressed expression on Slade and grasping Roy’s hand back. Slade’s face crumpled, a vicious glare emerging from the weathered face and he jerked on Dick’s arm viciously, Dick’s mouth opening in a cry of pain as a sickening popping sound rent the air in two.

And then several things happened at once.

Dick fell back against the building, his wrist cradled against his chest, as-

Slade’s face morphed into completely surprise and utter satisfaction, as-

Mr. Harper took a step forward, his indignation practically palpable, and he cocked his fist back far enough to punch the smug look right off of Slade’s face.

Jason and Stephanie stared at the unconscious man on the pavement, glancing between the huffing Mr. Harper and Dick.

“You knocked him out,” Dick said flatly.

“I knocked him out,” Mr. Harper replied, straightening and reaching out to help Dick upright. He wrapped his arm around Dick’s waist, hands gently inspecting his wrist.

“For _me_.”

“No, for the Dalai Lama,” Mr. Harper cleared his throat awkwardly. “Of course for _you_ , dumbass.”

“You broke your no-violence streak for me.” A grin was lurking under Dick’s skin, shining through his eyes.

“And you need to go see someone about this. It’s swelling already.”

Dick met their gaze, the remnants of his earlier fear still evident in his posture.

“Go on,” Stephanie said, stepping forward, her voice all business. “We’ll be fine without you. Hell, if you want us to, we’ll even run group on our own.” Dick grinned wryly at them, leaning on Mr. Harper and nodding.

“I’m sure you’ll do fine.”


End file.
